Apple bans fraudulent developer from iTunes

Apple has confirmed that iTunes accounts were compromised to make fraudulent purchases, and has banned the developer at the centre of the scam.

Thuat Nguyen managed to briefly push 42 of his releases into the top 50 book apps in the US iTunes Store last week, triggering suspicions of foul play. After earlier suspending the Vietnamese developer's account, Apple has brought the ban-hammer down on Nguyen for violations of its Developer Program License Agreement, TechRadarreports.

In a statement, Apple said the 400 accounts were compromised to make fraudulent purchases. "If your credit card or iTunes password is stolen and used on iTunes we recommend that you contact your financial institution and inquire about cancelling the card and issuing a chargeback for any unauthorised transactions," Apple said.

Security firms reckon the scam bears the hallmarks of a phishing attack, where victims are tricked into handing over login credentials.

Apple, meanwhile, is keen to stress that it was individual accounts, rather than the iTunes Store itself, that were affected by the breach. Even so Apple has promised to review the security of its servers and to tighten controls, the BBC reports. ®